Let’s be honest; every basketball player wants to dunk. That statement is even truer for short basketball players. Being a short guy, all I ever wanted to do is dunk a basketball on someone. I thought it was impossible since I’m only 5’7″ and standard basketball rims are 10 feet tall. However, you see NBA players like Nate Robinson (5’9″) who have EXPLOSIVE jumping power, right for which he has won Slam Dunk Contest three times! So how does someone so short get up so tall? Let me give you 5 quick drills for short basketball players so you too can develop that explosive jumping power.

Contrary to popular belief, to increase your vertical you can’t just exercise your legs. It’s also important to note that while strength and stamina don’t hurt, the key to jumping high is how EXPLOSIVE you are.

  • Jump rope – This is a great exercise for basketball players because it increases foot speed and strengthens your calf muscles. Do four sets of 100 (a total of 400 jumps).
  • Sprint-and-Drop: SPRINT the width of a basketball court, drop down and do ten push-ups. Remember to focus on explosiveness, one second to push up, three seconds to come back down. Perform 10 sprints (total 100 push-ups)
  • Box Jumps – Place a two foot tall box in front of you. With feet shoulder-width apart, perform a full squat and EXPLODE onto box, lower back down and repeat. Perform four sets of 25 (a total of 100 box jumps)
  • Truck Driver – This is basically a squat with the focus on the road going down rather than up. With your feet shoulder-width apart, drop as fast as you can into a 90-degree squat. Hold the position for 4 seconds and come back up. Perform four sets of 20 (total 80 truckers)
  • High Knee Raise Sprints: Sprint across a basketball court by staying on your toes and raising your knees as high as possible. Be careful not to jump on the ground. Perform four sets of 5 (total 20 sprints)

Doing these exercises for short basketball players will not only help you increase your jumping power, but it will also make you a better basketball player overall.

That said, if you REALLY want to build your jumping power, you need more than just 5 exercises. You need dedication, a step-by-step training program, as well as videos and tutorials on different exercises. It was with these tools and training programs that made it possible for short basketball players like Nate Robinson and myself to explode and dunk 10-foot hoops!